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Jackson6612 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Lest she should know
Is the following sentence correct? Isn't "lest" supposed to be followed by "should be + past participle" or "be + past participle"? Please guide me. Thanks.
He tried to keep all the medical reports secret lest she should know anything about his disease.
He tried to keep all the medical reports secret lest she should know anything about his disease.
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4 Answers
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"Lest she should know" means "so that she would not know." "Should have" refers to a hypothetical past situation: "She should have known he would arrive late." (But she didn't know it.)
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jbachman08"Lest she should know" means "so that she would not know."
Is the following sentence correct? Isn't "lest" supposed to be followed by "should be + past participle" or "be + past participle"? Please guide me. Thanks. He tried to keep all the medical reports secret lest she should know anything about his disease.
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Hi-
The "should be" plus past participle you are talking about is the passive. "Mubarak left Cairo lest he be killed by the people. Compare that to Mubarak left Egypt lest the people kill him," which is the active way of saying it. You know you have the passive when you see or understand "by" plus the agent, or doer.
JB
The "should be" plus past participle you are talking about is the passive. "Mubarak left Cairo lest he be killed by the people. Compare that to Mubarak left Egypt lest the people kill him," which is the active way of saying it. You know you have the passive when you see or understand "by" plus the agent, or doer.
JB
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